King Features Launches “My Cage,” A New Manga Comic Strip, in May

(For Immediate Release) King Features launches “My Cage,” its very first Japanese-style, manga-influenced comic strip, on May 6, 2007. Co-created by Melissa DeJesus, a well-known and highly respected manga graphic novelist, and her writing partner Ed Power, “My Cage” is drawn expressly for the new generation of multi-platform techno-savvy readers and comics fans who like manga-style art.

The strip’s name is a parody of the monolithic “My Space” social networking site and is comprised of vignettes that explore the trials and tribulations of an inner circle of anthropomorphized animals, who are mostly in their twenties and thirties. The lead character of “My Cage” is Norman, a young 20-something platypus who wants to be a world-famous writer, but has found himself stuck in a less than fulfilling middle-management job that pays the bills but eats away a little more of his soul each day.

Norm always expected to have a creative job that gave him some type of fulfillment and is stunned to be surrounded by people who feel that a job is just a paycheck and are satisfied with that notion. This concept is alien to Norm, and thus alienates him from his co-workers a lot of the time. Norm’s saving graces are his sweet girlfriend Bridget, his lovable pet amoeba Squishy, and a few oddball co-workers, who amuse him through the tedium of each eight-hour work day.

Described by Power as “the comic strip for everyone who has ever felt like a platypus in a world of cats and dogs,” “My Cage” will resonate with young people, manga fans, college students and recent graduates who have entered the workforce.

“It’s a comic strip for everyone who gets up earlier than they want to, puts on clothes they wouldn’t normally wear, and drives in traffic to a place they don’t want to be five days a week, so they can have the money to do the things they enjoy the remaining two days (provided they’re not too tired),” Power eloquently summarizes.

Manga, which literally is defined as “comics” and “random (or whimsical) pictures” in Japanese, is a multi-billion dollar global market that is enjoyed worldwide by comics fans of all age groups, especially younger readers. Sales of graphic novels and manga have been soaring in the United States and Canada, from $165 million in 2003 to more than $300 million in 2006.

“Manga art is beautiful. It is very fluid with a lot of energy,” explains writer Power. “My Cage is a great cross-over strip for manga. The art is so different than other artwork on the comics page right now. It will really catch the eye of newspaper readers. On top of that, Melissa’s art is just so amazing…there is really something pretty to look at once readers are drawn in.”